Automatic sand-trap



,C. ALLEN.

AUTOMATIC SAND TRAP. APPLICATION FILED APR.28,1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

11V VENTOR karles Allen A TTOR NE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES ALLEN, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC SAND-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat td A 12 19 Application filed; April 28, 1920. Serial No. 377,345.

To all MILO 17bit may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES ALLEN, a. citizen of the United States, residin at El Paso, in the county of Paso and tate of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Sand-Traps, of

The object of th1s invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device for carry ing on the separation automatically, such device embodying a minimum number of operating parts and being oirugged'construction and not likely to get out of order.

The present structure includes a tank or cone having an overflow for the discharge of the light and slowly settling particles and a bottom discharge orifice for the discharge of heavy and more quickly settling particles. The tank is suspended from an overhead support by means of springs arranged at three points and a valve is provided for the bottom discharge orifice, said valve being carried in fixed position. When a sufiicient quantity of solids have accumulated in the bottom of the tank, the sprlngs are comressed allowing the tank to move downwardly thereby unseating the valve, whereupon the sand will be discharged through the bottom orifice These springs may be regulated to provide for different degrees of density in the product discharged from the bottom orifice. The hanger for the springs is preferably carried by the launder as is also the valve stem. In this way I am.

enabled to do away with separate supporting frames. 7 One form which my invention may as sume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in they accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical central sectional view of the device embodying my 1nvention. I V

Fig. 2 shows aplan view ofthesame.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, I show a tank 10 preferably oone-shaped and provided with a discharge orifice 11 at the bottom thereof into which isv seated a valve 12 carried by a stem 13. The tank is provided with flanges or'brackets 14 near its top to rest upon complressiblecoil springs 15, there being three such springs. ,These' springs 15 are suspended from a hanger 16 in the form of a spider, said hanger being bolted to a launder 17. The valve stem- 13 extends upwardly through the tank and passes through an opening in the spider and is in turn connected to) the launder 17 by means of a fastening device, 18.

The launder is provided with apipe 19 discharging into the tank and said'tank has an overflow spout v20 for the discharge of light and slowly settling particles, -The' ma-:

terial to be treated is fed into the tank con tinuously and normally the tank is elevated by means of the springs so that the valve 12 is seated and closes thedischarge-orifice 11. Thereafter, when. a sufficient quantity of heavy and quickly settling solids accumulate in the bottom of the tank, the tank is moved downwardly by the weight thereof resulting in the unseating of the valve and permitting the settled material to escape. If the solids be discharged faster than they are accumulated, then the tank becomes lighter and the springs will expand to raise the tank and close the discharge orifice.

The present device, it will be noted, is

supported from a spider which is fasteneddlrectly to the launder from which the feed stream is received. The tank has a threepoint suspension which insures a continuous bearing on all oints. The devicev is not likely to get out oi order on account of the fact that the valve rod and the discharge orifice cannot get out of line. The spring suspension insures an opening of the dis support the Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having. thus described my invention,

' what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An automatic separator of the type mentioned, comprising a tank having an overflow and a bottom discharge orifice, a hanger,

the accumulation of solids in the tank causes the latter to be moved downwardly compressing the springs and thereby unseating the valve and means for adjusting d springs to vary'the operation of the tank and valve.

2. An automatic separator of the type mentioned, comprising alaunder, a spider fixed to the launder, compressible coil springs carried by said spider, a tank suspended from the spider by means oi said springs, said tank embodying an overflow and bottom discharge orifice, and a valve for the bottom discharge orifice normally closing the same and being car'ied upon a fixedsupport wliereby when sufiicient quantity of solids accumulate in the tank, the latter will move downwardly compressing the springs and unseating the valve and means for'adjusting said springs to vary the operation of the tank and valve.

3. An automatic separator of the type mentioned, comprising a launder, a tank having an overflow and a bottom discharge orifice, a spider carried by the launder, springs suspending the tank from the spider at three points, and a valve'for the bottom discharge orifice normally'closingthe same and carried fixedly by the launder.

and carried fixedly by the launder, said' valve being provided with a stem extending upwardly through the tank and passing through an opening in the spider.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses CHARLES ALLEN.

VVitnes'ses:

A. H. SWETT,

EDMUND SHAW. 

